The genius of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore

Yesterday’s post re: the lost garage tapes of Morecambe and Wise got me thinking about another group that played a big role in the early days of British comedy more than setting the stage for today’s stars. The comedy duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, along with the likes of Alan Bennett and Jonathan […]

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5' 8.25" Python sighted in Boston….

What started out as a day just like any other day at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston on Monday suddenly turned very special. The Celtics were waiting around to see who they were going to play so that wasn’t it. The Bruins are out so that definitely wasn’t it and the Red Sox had […]

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British comedy scattershooting….

Lots of bits & bobs or odds & sods coming our way over the last couple of weeks concerning our favorite pastime, British television. Thought I’d go through a quick bit of scattershooting to give everyone updates on current series, answer some mailbag questions that have come in and impart some basic little known or […]

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Former Python, John Cleese, embarks on Alimony Tour

At 71, former Monty Python star, John Cleese, is showing no signs of slowing down. Frankly, he can’t afford to. His upcoming, appropriately titled, Alimony Tour kicks off in 2011 throughout the UK. Admitting that he would rather be reading books, writing or drinking, Cleese, with three exes as of this writing, might find it difficult to […]

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Even I can't make this one up….

Seems as though every couple of months we run across the ultimate British comedy collectable. If it wasn’t the Daleks from Doctor Who, it was a church featured in a past Doctor Who episode that was put up for sale. Now comes probably not the ultimate collectable, but perhaps the most oddly interesting collectable from […]

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Arkwright 1, Apu 0

Combining their unique ability to create “best-of” lists for just about anything with their definite love for the small screen, the British have done it again. This time, it’s Britain’s favorite television shopkeeper. According to a recent poll conducted by consumer watchdog, Which, and reported on in WalesOnline, Ronnie Barker’s portrayal of Arkwright in Open […]

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If Monty Python were in the FA Cup final

With the FA Cup final just around the corner (Wembley Stadium, London, on 15 May), I thought it only appropriate to revisit what many consider to be the second greatest moment in English football history. The Guardian reports in this article by Julian Baggini, editor of Philosophers’ Magazine, that, on 9 May, Python, philosophy and […]

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The great British comedy catchphrase

To continue our focus and conversation about the writers, our friends over at the British Comedy Guide in a recent programming alert about an upcoming special on Channel 4 in London, remind us that buried in the brilliant writing of our favorite British comedy shows are some priceless and timeless catchphrases. As they point out, […]

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Britain's Best Sitcom – Your thoughts?

Several years ago, the BBC embarked on the daunting task of determining Britain’s Best Sitcom through a poll where people could argue their case and then identify and vote for their favorite British situation comedy of all-time. To no one’s surprise, Only Fools and Horses emerged at the overall winner with almost 350,000 votes. You can […]

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